Adversity In Life Of Pi's Life

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The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, is about a 16-year old boy who is stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. He is accompanied by a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger, all fighting for survival on a tiny raft. Yann Martel uses characters to show that the absence of hope can either weaken a character or allow the character to realize that perseverance is needed to make him/her stronger. Pi’s evolution as a character is portrayed throughout his journey at sea: at first he is scared, fearful and is mourning the painful loss of his family. Though, as days pass, he learns to adapt to his surroundings and becomes courageous and intelligent with his lifestyle at sea. His relationship with the tiger, Richard Parker, also evolves from…show more content…
One night the ship sinks and Pi is forced to take aboard a rescue boat, and later realizes that he is to share it with multiple animals. The presence of animals adds to the amount of trouble Pi must handle now that he is stranded at sea. All hope seems lost based on his situation, as Pi explains, “I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific… had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten” (Yann 118). Pi has already accepted the fact that he will surely face death soon, and considers giving up before his circumstances get any worse than they already are. As the storm calms down and Pi is aware of his surroundings, he realizes that a zebra, a hyena and orangutan are all aboard on the rescue boat. As a carnivore, the hyena begins to take an interest in the zebra and one night violently attacks it. To Pi’s disappointment, he wakes up one day to see a nearly dead zebra, gory and bloody. As the sun sets, Pi realizes that not only did the zebra die along with the day, but so did his
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